The Marker by Diana Savastano Added to Personal Favorite for 2017

Winslow Homer's Famous 1862 Drawing of a Civil War Surgeon at Work in the Field

I loved this book! The concept and follow through of the storyline of this book was fascinating and I read it in one day, finishing about midnight...If you enjoy paranormal/ supernatural fiction, with a historical slant into the Civil War period, this one is highly recommended!

May 1863: Port Gibson, Mississipi

Early morning sun struggled to diffuse the heavy fog that blanketed a peace valley where battle-wear Confederate soldiers rested in makeshift tents.

As the first rays of sunlight penetrated the ghostly haze, a sea of blue advanced with lightning speed on horseback and on foot. A ragged Union flag flapped briskly as the blue-clad ranks moved swiftly and brutally firing torrents of artillery into the enemy's camp. The earth trembled, and disoriented Confederate troops desperately scrambled for their weapons.

When the sound of gunfire awakened Dr. Bradley Taylor, he instinctively grabbed his medical gear and ran from his tent. With no concern for his own safety, he tended to both blue and gray troops, remaining faithful to the sacred oath he took when he became a physician.

Moving from one soldier to another, he doctored wounds until a single-bullet found its intended mark. A searing pain ripped through his back as he slumped to the ground, writhing in agony...

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." --Daniel 12:2

A sharp pain in his stomach caused him to press his hands against his belt buckle. His swollen fingers followed the outline of two raised metal initials. Panic swept over him when he realized this was a Union buckle. He pulled at it, but it wouldn't break free from his belt...

~~~

They had found him four years later and buried him as an unknown soldier. Someone had placed a belt buckle for US and a union soldier uniform...He was buried in the cemetery for the Union... 

Dr. Bradley Taylor had lost his identity in death, he was buried without anybody knowing he was even dead. His family would have never known what happened to him. Buried, but not at rest in this place...He could not move on. What of his beloved wife and son? Decades went by but nobody searched for him. Why would they? He had fought for the Confederate, and as a doctor who served anybody who needed his medical training. 

He didn't deserve being murdered, betrayed... He would wait...

Readers learn of Dr. Taylor in the Prologue, while the book itself begins in the Present Day in New York City. Jennifer Beasley, the primary writer for a major magazine is begging her boss to give her some very much needed time off...

Jennifer has recognized the signs of stress of overwork and, this time, she's not going to let her boss prevent her from taking time off... She almost succeeds, but another writer who had an assignment has suddenly disappeared without explanation. Jennifer compromises and agrees with an immediate two-week vacation upon return. She discovers that Jake, the photographer, a friend, but also an admirer who has been pushing for more would be going. Jack just adds more to the stress, but they do have a good trip which included a little shopping for a gift for her father, a Civil War, enthusiastic collector. Before she leaves, she is able to purchase a Grave Marker, from an unknown soldier in a Civil War Union Cemetery.

But after she bought it, she worried about the appropriateness of giving a grave marker to her father...Before she had decided, though, Jennifer began to hear a voice...A voice that claimed the marker was his, from his grave... He asked for her help!

The man kept asking for help and with her unexpected assignment now done, she proceeds to plan time off, even as her boss tried to keep her there...The man was telling her to go Jto Natchez. Jennifer knew she was meant to go! 

And there the search began, using her research skills as well as trusted people who agreed to help along her way, she began to put the puzzle together, searching historical documents, personal letters, old Bibles, diaries as well as present records of where people were based upon name changes, and more...

But that's just saying what was happening to find the answers. Surrounding the work,  we get to know the people who were living during the Civil War. We learn that Rebecca, Bradley Taylor's wife, married again and how badly that turned out for her, for one thing... Interestingly, Dr. Taylor appeared to Jennifer once near the grave upon her arrival, but then never again. She had agreed to help and proceeded into an amazing adventure that she knew she would not stop for any reason...

Supernatural, yes Indeed! But consider the last part of the scripture given, "...some to shame and everlasting contempt..." While Dr. Taylor could not rest, neither could those who had done evil...so that in the present day, how the former generations lived, so it affected those individuals in their present lives... You know, close to another scripture that talks about the sins of the father being visited on the son... 

All Dr. Taylor wanted was to rest in peace with the rest of his family...but...what happens in the lives of Jennifer and those helping solve the "cold case" includes healing, love and marriage. There was only one clue that suggested me that Dr. Taylor had been reincarnated... Let me know if you think I read right! Nevertheless, a wonderfully written page-turner that pulls you into a cold murder case like no other... After all, the victim sought help in solving the crime! Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

Diana began her writing career as a columnist and feature writer. She later became a food journalist and editor. In 1992, she established her own company, publishing two print magazines (The COLLECTOR Newsmagazine and Gourmet Fare). In addition, Diana was the creator and host of Cooking with Grandma. Her first book, ON THE BREATH OF ANGELS, was released in April 2008. WINDS OF POOD series (Under the Puddle and In the Blizzard) are her first middle-grade novels, followed by The Upside Down Inside Out Life of Maureen Kiernan (Book 1: The Magic Cello), The Princess Who Loved to Swim, and THE MARKER. In addition to writing books, she is working with veteran entertainment advisors penning multiple script projects to bring
 her book characters to life on screen. 

Visit Diana at https://www.dianasavastano.com

Ann Swann Presents Fantastic Romantic Suspense Stutter Creek! A Personal Favorite Selection!

She had finally fallen asleep. But even the sleep-aid hadn't been able to protect her from the dream. Every time she closed her eyes, the blackness came and swallowed her family. She was reminded of her grandmother and how the elderly woman had often suffered from bad dreams and what she'd referred to as "visits."
Beth had always thought the woman was a little off until her grandfather had passed away, that is. Then she had experienced such a clear vision of him standing at the end of her bed, waiting to say goodbye, that she had never doubted her Grandmother's stories again. When she had mentioned it to her Gran, the older woman had simply hugged her and with tears in her eyes, she'd said, "Your momma, she got visits, too."
Beth hand't really known how to respond to that. Her mom had died of toxemia shortly after Beth was born. When her Gran had passed several years later, Beth had awoken--apparently at the very moment of the elder woman's death from a stroke--to the old John Denver song, "Leaving on a Jet Plane." She awoke

hearing line that gave her an immediate image of her Gran standing out in the hall, luggage in hand, ready to go on a trip. She had a sad look on her sweet old face, as if she hated having to stop by so unexpectedly.

Beth never doubted that it was her Gran, stopping by just like her Granddad had done so many years before. Then, when the same song just happened to be playing on the car radio three days later on the way to the funeral... that had really convinced her that she had been "visited."

~~~

I loved this book! Romantic Suspense is among my favorite genres, but when you add a bit of the paranormal, it adds so much to the options that can be added... and Swann did this exceptionally well. After mentioning early in the book about the incidents that had happened to Beth, the main character, we do not see any further evidence of this phenomenon until Ann has arrived at Stutter Creek... I'm not going to share anything further, because this is so special that you will want to read it and respond to it first-hand... Without saying any more, I'll just add it was the perfect complement to making the story...fantastic! 

Beth's life had hit a new bottom and she was just beginning to deal with it... Beth's mother had died when she was born, and her father had raised her on his own--they were inseparable. But he had recently died while at the same time, her husband had left her for a younger woman. It was wonderful to see her daughter married soon thereafter, but when they decided to live in Italy, well, Beth had never felt lonelier... 

Facing that she was now having a hard time staying in her home, Beth suddenly decided to pack and head up to their cabin where she had so many wonderful memories with her father... And as a divorcee now, she couldn't help but remember her very first deep crush for Big John, a young man, who at 18, realized that he shouldn't be feeling like he did for the 14-year-old Beth and had joined the service...and then continued to work until he'd retired... Twenty years had gone by and he and Turk, a dog with whom he'd worked during the service and whose life he'd save when he was leaving a last battle, arrived at Stutter Creek, just before Beth showed up... Their reconnect is, well, truly sweet...and would have been the answer to her dreams if it had not been tied to...death...

The book opens when a young woman sees a small boy standing along the road... Amanda couldn't help but stop... The boy's father immediately drugged him again...so he would have time for his fun with Amanda and then get rid of her... The serial killer was quite happy to have found his son and use him to attract his victims! And he was ready for the next one on his list...

Kurt head butted Sherylyn when she tried to grab the gearshift. Then he cranked up the volume on the radio and smiled when he heard the refrain of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain."

As Willie Nelson continued to wail. Sherylyn did her best to get rid of the wad of duct tape in her mouth, but Kurt went wild He loosened his grip on her chin. Sherylyn whooped air through her suddenly open mouth just as Kurt thrust his entire hand between her teeth. Her jaw was forced open with a craack, and he crushed the ball of tape down into her throat.

Completely panicked, Sherylyn whipper her head back and forth, but she could not dislodge the tape. His fist was iron...

~~~

Beth had seen the boy along the road as well, and had stopped immediately. He had disappeared... Beth at first thought it was an hallucination, caused by the stress she'd been experiencing, but she couldn't stop thinking about it and knew she would have to make sure the boy was really not out there somewhere...

Beth was not the type of victim the killer wanted--his picks were young blond girls, but Beth was causing problems and she would be taken care of...for his own protection...

This book is action-packed as the bodies start being found and another girl is taken... The suspense is developed as readers move from situation to situation, until the climatic merge of the various characters explodes into a frantic search and rescue, led mainly by Turk! It's tense, edgy, and yet the finding of an old love late in life is so tenderly presented, emotions will be going up and down as each event jerks us from either concern, fear, or loving moments... This one just had to be added as a personal favorite for me! And, by the ending, prepare for a wonderful smile of complete satisfaction...

This was my first time reading Ann Swann, but I found her writing provocative and flowing as she deftly moves us from scene to scene... I can certainly recommend this and for romantic suspense lovers, call it a must-read suggestion from me...

GABixlerReviews

Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantom Pilot, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She still lives in West Texas with her husband, Dude, one rescue dog, two rescue cats, and a part-time box turtle named Piggy. When not writing, Ann is reading. Her to-be-read list has grown so large it has taken on a life of its own. She calls it Herman.

Experience Natural Enemies, Latest by Warren Adler!

Medicine Bow,
Routt National Forest

Even before George realized that the beige Ford van was following them, he had felt a sense of growing anxiety. He did not like to drive in the dark, especially along strange roads. His calculations had not allowed for the fact that the sun would dip behind the high Western peaks at least an hour or so before the published time of the Colorado sunset. He did not like human error, and that included his own. “Getting darker,” he mumbled between clenched teeth, glancing, with some guilt, at his wristwatch. Birdie smiled, amused by his irritation. “Poor baby. Lost without your computers,” she teased, digging her fingers into the funnybone above his knee. 

He had agreed to drive west from Denver only if he did not have to drive in the dark. “Cut it out,” he snapped with mock waspishness. But her gesture had cheered him. “You couldn’t foresee that the plane would be an hour late or that it would take nearly an hour to rent the car or that those peaks would be so high. Really, George, you can’t control everything.” She rubbed her thin white hands along his thigh to placate him.

Placing his hand over hers, he squeezed. “We could have stayed on the outskirts of Denver,” he said. But the girl at the Hertz desk had suggested the scenic route, old number 40 to 125, through the Arapaho and Routt national forests, then up to Rand. They had a Holiday Inn reservation near Rand. Tomorrow they would drive through the Arapaho wildlife refuge, then double back to 40 via Route 14. 

“It’s like a foreign land,” Birdie said, settling back to watch the spreading shadows along the timbered mountains, the play of odd light effects, especially above the timberline, where snow coated the peaks like heavy white paste. 

“We were supposed to relax. And already it’s not relaxing.”

“Go with the flow. That’s what the Doc said,” Birdie replied. She was always amused by his carping. It gave her a chance to tease. Besides, it was the freedom of breaking routine, of doing the opposite thing, that made this Western vacation romantic, she thought. Something completely different, as the comedian had said on the Monty Python Show. Different from Manhattan. Different from their jobs. Different from the routine of city life. And they had never seen the West. 

He pulled the car over near the road’s shoulder. Taking the map from the glove compartment, he studied it while Birdie traced the red Magic Marker line with a slender finger. Designating their path, it arced imperfectly between the major interstates from Route 70 to Route 80. 

“It’ll get dark just when we’re in the middle of the forest. Nothing is scenic in the dark.”

“Except you,” she said gaily, snuggling up to him. “If you like we could sleep in the car.” She kissed his ear. “You’re being L and L.” It was one of their many little code expressions. “L and L” meant lecherous and lustful. 

“The height,” she agreed. 

He put the map in the glove compartment and gunned the motor. It was then he noted that the beige van, which he had observed only peripherally, had stopped a few hundred feet behind him. When he started his car, it started. Coincidence, he decided, pushing the idea from his mind. Because the road wound in sharp hairpin curves as it climbed, he guided the car carefully up the sloping terrain. City living had made his driving rusty and the tires squeaked as he wrestled the wheel on the sharp turns. The van, he noted, was more stable in its maneuvers, indicating a more experienced driver. 

“Hard to believe,” Birdie said, admiring the passing slopes. “Don’t you look!” she cried, as the tires squeaked on a curve. “Don’t worry about that,” he said with annoyance. The road dipped and climbed, following the harsh contours. He had also not made allowances for this obstacle course. On either side now was solid forest with barely a break in the treeline. Occasionally even the peaks disappeared and he seemed to be navigating in an impenetrable sea of timber. As they climbed, the sporadic traffic thinned and there was only their little rented Plymouth Fury and the beige van on the road. 

“Damn,” he cried, as the car made too wide a swath rounding a curve. He had been looking into the rearview mirror, and hadn’t seen the curve come at them so swiftly. “If there was a car coming from the other direction— zap, splat!” He wasn’t really good at hiding his anxieties. 

She looked at him curiously and noted his eyes shifting between the review mirror and the windshield. Turning in the seat, she looked back...

~~~

Imagine the experience of days and days with nothing around you but woods...
~~~

As many of you know, I live, alone, in a log cabin surrounded by acres of trees...except I have a road in front of my cabin, and neighbors... Still, I have been snowed in many times, unable to get from the door of my cabin to the road which has been cleared...

In the woods, the sounds are either of silence or of nature surrounding me... I have wind chimes on my porch and they ring loudly as the wind blows against the cabin walls, trying to find any method of seeping into my home... Thunder and Lightning is so much louder and brighter in the country than if I were still living in the town where I worked before retirement.

Deer, coons, 'possums, wild turkeys are normal neighbors for me... I tell you all this because as I read Warren Adler's latest novel, there was no way that I did not begin to actually experience the story. It's an exhilarating, raw, adventure that, for me, pulled me in right from the beginning... And the silence of facing the unknown day after day is...terrifying...This reader felt quite grateful reading about it rather than the potential reality of it that we all know has happened! And yet, I just couldn't stop reading...

Especially because the author begins with a first-chapter which readers will consider as what will be happening in the book... Then we immediately switch to meeting the two main characters--a young married couple who are, I must spotlight, very much in love. 

George is a VP at a city bank and works entirely with computers. He has had a good life, with loving parents who totally supported him whenever possible. 

On the other hand, Birdie, who goes by a nickname that was given years ago, is a graphic artist who works from home. Her family background was not a happy one. Her father left the family, unable to live with his wife, and Birdie was left with a bitter, vengeful mother who derided the father she loved, as well as did little to keep the family going. Birdie was left to take care of her mother, the house, and anything her father would have contributed. She learned early how to use tools to repair and/or create useful items to respond to needs...

Their two backgrounds had created a relationship of two people who were almost opposites in personalities and abilities. In the marriage, they complemented each other, with George doing the cooking and Birdie doing most everything around the house.

But they had come to a problem when George began to make it clear that he wanted children, while Birdie wasn't enthused, given her background as a child. She was willing to try but they had been unsuccessful. With counseling, it was suggested they go on a vacation together. Their travel agent gave them the "scenic route..."

And when they got on that scenic route, with nothing surrounding them but deep forest, they began a cat and mouse chase with two men in a large vehicle...who were out, for whatever reason, to place the couple in dangerous situations...

When they succeeded...those characters are never seen again.

George and Birdie were left with no vehicle, in a deep wooded forest, with only their clothes and what few things they carried with them... and lost 

George and Birdie had been fairly certain what they would face if the two men had reached them...

They had no idea that their greatest...natural enemies...were the land, the trees, the weather, and all that lived and surrounded them there... especially at night...

No matter what the story, Adler has the ability to pull readers into the book itself. This book, however, went beyond that for me... I felt like I was in the midst of that forest, experiencing what was happening as this couple searched for water, first, and what they might be able to eat. They quickly learned how and where NOT to set up camp, as one night they built on an ant hill and woke with ants everywhere... Fortunately that time there had been a stream nearby and they leaped in to wash the insects off their bodies! The other enemies they were to meet were not so easily dealt with... The adventure is  highly tense as they seemed to be facing formidable enemies with whom they'd had no experience. They were citified, yes, but one of them had never known fear, until now... That was when Birdie was at her best...

The tension started to build between the couple. Feelings of insecurity, loss of confidence, blame, guilt and more were brought out unintentionally, hurting the other when it was done, only to go through apologies and making up. For me, it was the emotional trauma, the inner introspective of each individual as they faced the unknown... Yet, no matter what came up, they were able to handle it because of the other.

For those who love romantic suspense and thrillers, I believe you may find this book one like no other--it certainly was for me. This is not so much a page-turner, as an impossible story to leave until you know the ending. Even then, the ending was somewhat anti-climatic, but, yet, so satisfactory that anything else would have seemed inappropriate. Kudos to the author!

For those who love action and adventure and books pitting individuals against nature, this I must say is better than any I've read, which includes Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon, forest ranger, best-selling series and others in that genre. The reason is that Adler has pitted his characters against one calamity after another. There's no room to take a breath before they must face rain, floods, snow avalanche, wild animals, lack of food, water, and being physically hurt in one or more of these situations.

Then Adler adds some comic relief, as they meet their first person who critically asks why they are wearing bear skin clothes... Ahhhh, back to the world of human enemies who speak before they think... You know, in a way, I'm curious as to how these two adjusted to being back in "civilization..." But that's maybe another book... But I surely loved this one, and easily added it to my personal favorites for 2017...

GABixlerReviews

Warren Adler is best known for The War of the Roses, his masterpiece fictionalization of a macabre divorce turned into the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated dark comedy hit starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. In addition to the success of the stage adaptation of his iconic novel on the perils of divorce, Adler has optioned and sold film rights to more than a dozen of his novels and short stories to Hollywood and major television networks. Random Hearts (starring Harrison Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas), The Sunset Gang (starring Jerry Stiller, Uta Hagen, Harold Gould and Doris Roberts), Private Lies, Funny Boys, Madeline’s Miracles, Trans-Siberian Express and his Fiona Fitzgerald mystery series are only a few titles that have forever left Adler’s mark on contemporary American authorship from page to stage to screen. Learn more about Warren Adler at www.warrenadler.com.